Monday, May 23, 2011

MakeUseOf.com: “[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Of: Linux Software Page” plus 9 more

MakeUseOf.com: “[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Of: Linux Software Page” plus 9 more

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[ANNOUNCEMENT] Best Of: Linux Software Page

Posted: 23 May 2011 06:30 AM PDT

Following the success of our Best Of: Windows Software page, we decided that it would be a good idea to put our heads together and come up with a similar page for Linux. Today, we’d like to announce the launch of our Best Of: Linux Software page!

Populated by 100 of the best free Linux apps available, the Best Of: Linux Software page is a one-stop shop for all your Linux software needs.

We hope that this page will come in handy to Linux users both new and seasoned. We’ve included some all-time favourites like KeePassX, Rhythmbox, and Docky.

If you use Linux or plan to sometime in the future, please check out our Best Of: Linux Software page — you might find a hidden gem.

Be sure to bookmark the page and tell your friends about it on Facebook and Twitter!

This page was made for you. Please share it and help us spread the word.

If we missed out your favourite application, please let us know in the comments or using the Feeback button on the page and we’ll consider adding it. Plus, if you have any apps to recommend, voice out! The top five recommendations will each receive a free MakeUseOf t-shirt.


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Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun]

Posted: 23 May 2011 12:09 AM PDT

Check out the top picks from MakeUseOf Geeky Fun during the last couple of days.

  1. Damn! Cloud Computers!! (Pic)
  2. Facebook Trolling: 101 (Pic)
  3. Angry Birds Vs. Tiny Wings (Video)
  4. How God Is Manages The 2011 Rapture (Pic)
  5. I Could Be On The Internet Right Now (Pic)
  6. Repair Shop For Sony Erection (Pic)
  7. Linux Users (Pic)
  8. Photo Battle (Video)

If you would like to keep up with all latest Geeky Fun additions, please subscribe to the Geeky Fun feed here. You can also subscribe and get the latest additions via email.


SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder
Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use.


 

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Cool Websites and Tools [May 22nd]

Posted: 22 May 2011 08:31 PM PDT

Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. Most of the listed websites are FREE or come with a decent free account option. If you want to have similar cool website round-ups delivered to your daily email, subscribe here.

Add Your Website Here!

 

Better Bracket Maker – is a browser based app that lets you easily make tournament brackets of any size online. To create a bracket, go to their website, click “Create new bracket”, enter bracket Name (high school basketball match, soccer cup etc), number of starting teams and click “Create”. Read more: Better Bracket Maker: Create Tournament Brackets Online

 

MobileNoter: – Microsoft OneNote is a highly popular note-taking application that lets you create and manage notes in an organized manner. But OneNote can only be used through your computer. What you need is a way to add notes to your OneNote notebook on the go. This is precisely what MobileNoter lets you do. It is a web service that lets Windows users add notes to their OneNote notebooks through their smartphones. Read more: MobileNoter: View, Edit & Add OneNote Notebooks Through iOS & Android Devices (20 Free Accounts)

 

 

CSS Pivot – If you ever wanted to change the look of a popular website, now you can with CSS Pivot. It lets you add custom CSS styles to any website and preview it online. To try it out, simply enter the URL into the text box, hit “Open URL” and add custom CSS styles into the dialog box. Read more: CSS Pivot: Add Custom CSS Styles To Any Website

 

 

333DDD – If you have a pair of 3D glasses around, you can use the Internet to view a bunch of fun 3D media. But most sites still display 2D images. To view them in 3D you can use a simple tool called 333DDD, an easy to use tool that transforms the 2D images on a page into 3D. The tool comes as a browser bookmarklet that you should drag to your bookmarks toolbar. Read more: 333DDD: Browse The Web Images In 3D

 

 

Neighbor Goods – is a simple website with a very powerful idea. All of us have things that we don't use and a lot of people around us may have a need for them. NeighborGoods makes that connection by letting people post online the stuff they are willing to share/lend. Read more: Neighbor Goods: Borrow & Share Stuff With Neighbors & Friends Locally

 

These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed.


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Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends!

Posted: 22 May 2011 07:31 PM PDT

It’s time to say thanks to our friends who, once in a while, tip us great articles, help out on projects and in some cases offer their services at discounted prices. Thank you, guys!

    [1] ShrinkTheWeb – Website Screenshot Thumbnail Service

    Ever wanted to add website screenshots to your website? ShrinkTheWeb is one of the best services for that, both in terms of performance and pricing. The free account gets you a whopping 250,000 impressions. See it in action in our daily Cool Websites and Tools series.

     

    [2] LapDawg “" Hands-free Laptop Stands

    Hands free laptop stand
    The hands free laptop stand holds your laptop or books in any position you want with it’s unique 360 degree rotating joints. Perfect for holding them in bed while lying down. Made from anodized aluminum with a beautiful black matte finish.

    [3] Walyou “" Cool Gadgets for Geeks

    new cool gadgets
    Walyou is a fun blog covering all sorts of new cool gadgets and other stuff every geek is likely to find entertaining. Everything from world’s largest Gunny Bears to E-hookah gadgets. Make sure to check them out.

     

    [4] rade | eccles – iPhone Application Development

    The perfect iPhone development team, rade | eccles managed to put our iPhone app together in record time yet exude professionalism and dedication every step of the way. Our collaboration wasn’t happenstance. We would make the same decision all over again. Our only recommendation for an iPhone developer – rade | eccles.

     

    [5] TrueKolor – Affordable Quality Logo and Banner Design

    If you’re looking for a cheap, original and quality logo or banner, check out TrueKolor. We often contact these guys when we need a logo or a banner made, some of the stuff they did for us listed on their portfolio page. Highly recommended.

     

    [6] Sendible – The easiest way to market your brand online

    We’re strong believers of the service Sendible provides — we use it on a daily basis and it has never failed us! Sendible is an online marketing service to promote, grow and track brands through the use of social media, email and SMS messaging. It has the ability to post to multiple services at once, schedule social network updates and analyse their success. We love it!

     

    [7] Sourcebits – Android Developement

    Sourcebits did a bang up job of helping us put together our long-awaited Android app. For that, we are eternally grateful!

 

Thank you, guys!


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Which Major Gaming Platforms Do You Use? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Posted: 22 May 2011 06:30 PM PDT

Our poll last week asked you to tell us how many programming languages you know. With most responders claiming to know between 3 and 5 programming languages, the MakeUseOf readership has again proved it is a pretty geeky bunch.

We got a total of 838 votes, divided as follows: 37% know 3-5 programming languages; 26% know 1-2 languages; 20% know 6-10 languages; 9% just aren’t into code and don’t know any programming languages; 5% know between 10-20 languages; and an elite 2% know more than 20 programming languages.

Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

It seems that most MakeUseOf readers know more than a few programming languages.

This week’s poll question is: Which Major Gaming Platforms Do You Use?
It’s time to find out what sort of gamers we have around here: Do you use the latest consoles? Do you have old consoles kicking about? Do you play games on your computer? Are you a retro game nut? Let us know!

If you absolutely love your gaming setup, let us know what you use in the comments!


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The Best 3 Free Photo Editing Apps For The iPad

Posted: 22 May 2011 03:30 PM PDT

best photo editing app for ipadIf you own an iPad camera connection kit – while it’s certainly not the same as having access to Photoshop or other robust photo editing programs on your desktop – there’s still quite a bit of photo editing you can get done without spending a penny on a single paid app using nothing more than your iPad.

With three free apps, Effects HD, Adobe Photoshop Express and Foto Editor, along with three useful photography apps for the iPad we’ve reviewed in the past, you can edit your photos to your heart’s content, and easily upload them and share them with your friends and followers. From minor adjustments such as contrast and brightness, to adding more elaborate effects and borders, get your photos exactly how you want them before sharing them with the world.

Effects HD

If you have an iPad 2, Effects HD [iTunes link] allows you to take an image with your iPad and get to editing straight away. Effects HD gives iPad users a quick and easy way to edit their photos on their tablet.

Hit the camera icon at the bottom center of the screen to take a photo, or the photo icon at the bottom right hand corner of the screen to open an image saved on your iPad.
best photo editing app for ipad
Effects HD comes with 12 filters including black and white, sepia, cross-processing and aging effects. While those are the 12 effects available with the free app, you can purchase additional packages with an in-app purchase.
ipad photo editing app
The app comes with 8 frames, and like with the filters, you can get additional styles with an in-app purchase.

ipad photo editing app

While editing your photo, if you find yourself wanting to revert to it’s original state, hit the refresh button at the top left hand corner.
ipad photo editing app
Once you’re done hit the share button at the top right hand corner to save or share your photo.
photo editing on ipad
You can save the photo to your library, copy it or mail it. From there you can also share it directly on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.
photo editing on ipad

FotoEditor

FotoEditor [iTunes link], like Effects HD allows you to quickly edit your photos but comes with more effects that you can apply to your photos.

Hit the flower icon to open a photo from your photo album.
photo editing on ipad
You can then apply any of the effects available such as grayscale, negative or sepia.
FotoEditorFilters.jpg
You can also adjust the brightness/contrast, the RGB balance, gamma correction, and rotate or mirror the image.
FotoEditorAdjust.jpg
Once you’re done, hit the save icon to save the photo to your library.
FotoEditorSave.jpg
Of you can share it directly from the app on Facebook, Twitter or Picasa.
FotoEditorShare.png
If you want to start all over again, hit the restore button to remove all changes you made to your image.
FotoEditorRevert.png
You can also look up your image’s properties, including it’s size and dimensions.
FotoEditorProp.jpg

Adobe Photoshop Express

It’s no surprise that Photoshop would have a solid iOS app that gives you some pretty decent photo editing features to take with you on the go. Like with Effects HD, you can take a photo using your iPad 2 camera, or select a photo from your library to edit using Adobe Photoshop Express. [iTunes link]

You can adjust the photo, cropping, rotating, and straightening it.
PScrop.jpg
You can adjust the exposure, saturation, tint, contrast or convert it to a black and white photo.
PSContrast.jpg
You can also convert your photo into a sketch, soften the focus or sharpen it.
PSSketch.jpg
Photoshop’s effects are surprisingly limited on the iPad with just 7 filters including Vibrant, and Andy Warhol-esque pop filter and Vignette Blur.
PSeffects.jpg
In addition to effects, you can also choose between 8 frames.
PSBorder.jpg
You can then save the image to your photo library or share it on Facebook or on your online Photoshop account.
best photo editing app for ipad
How do you edit your photos on your iPad? Let us know in the next comments.

Image Credit: Håkan Dahlström


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Hot Tech Deals – Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer for $139 + more

Posted: 22 May 2011 01:30 PM PDT

Today’s the featured deal is the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer for $139 after a $200 rebate and coupon codes. That’s $310 off the retail price.

For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.

  1. Dell Inspiron 560 Intel Celeron 450 2.2GHz Desktop Computer (2GB/500GB) $279 via code HLSKSR06S9ZG0F (Exp Soon)
  2. Dell Vostro 3300 Intel Core i3-370M 2.4GHz 13.3in Laptop (Aluminum, 2GB/250GB) $459
  3. Dell Vostro 3550 Intel Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz Sandy Bridge 15.6in Laptop 2yr Warranty $499 via code F28935J46S3QT4
  4. Dell Vostro 3450 Intel Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz Sandy Bridge 14in Laptop 2yr Warranty $499 via code F28935J46S3QT4
  5. Dell Vostro 3750 Intel Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz Sandy Bridge 17.3in Laptop (Aluminum) $499 via code F28935J46S3QT4 (Exp 5/24)
  6. TODAY ONLY EVGA Geforce 210 512MB PCI-E Low Profile Video Card $14.99AR via rebate
  7. Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer $139AR Free Shipping via codes Printer100 and LOYALTY10 (Ongoing) and rebate


SuperTinTin – Skype Video Call Recorder
Record and save your audio and video conversations on Skype or MSN. Easy to use.


 

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11 Entirely Legal & Free MP3 Album Downloads [Sound Sunday]

Posted: 22 May 2011 12:30 PM PDT

Party this Sound Sunday!

This edition is heavy on punk and rock, with a little folk and electronic sounds mixed in. Since it also contains a lot of shorter EPs, I decided to give you one additional album to make up for it. As you may have noticed, I’ve been playing around with the title a little. This has become necessary to convince the search engine algorithms that the content here is indeed unique. Do you find it unique enough?

Feedback and comments are most welcome. Feel free to email me [tina at makeuseof dot com] with genre requests or album suggestions.

Josh Barsell – What’s The Plan

Genre: alternative, indie, pop, rock

Originally from Boston, Josh Barsell started out as founder of the band Transit in 2001. The band soon moved to Los Angeles and after playing many shows over the years, Transit split up in 2006. Still in LA, Josh recorded his first solo record at Sunset Sound this May.

What’s The Plan is a free download from Bandcamp.

The OutBreaks – The OutBreaks EP

Genre: alternative, indie, rock

When It Attacks by theoutbreaks

From their Biography: “The Outbreaks have been apart of the Chicago music scene since 2006. (…) The Outbreaks rhapsodizes on soulful singing, truthful lyrics, poignant keyboard lines, punchy guitar licks, and driving back beats – a simple formula that produces memorable songs.

The OutBreaks were previously featured on Sound Sunday with their EP Places.

The OutBreaks EP is a free download from The OutBreaks Homepage. You can stream the entire album at PureVolume.

A Brighter Life – Where Tonight Can Go

Genre: pop, rock, punk

The 5 piece punk band from Columbia, South Carolina has a sound that is strongly reminiscent of Blink182. Where Tonight Can Go is their debut EP, which they have been promoting with gigs in and around their corner of the world. Let’s hope they will soon follow their music and cross the borders.

Where Tonight Can Go is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Like Pacific – The Worst…

Genre: pop, punk

From their Facebook Biography: “Five dudes with a common love for fast, hard-hitting, melodic music. No glitz, no glam, no flashy shit.  This is what we do, get stoked or get fucked. Say it like you mean it Pop Punk!

The Worst… is a free download from Bandcamp.

Asbestos – High Hopes

Genre: hardcore, punk

From their MindViz profile: “Asbestos have been going since 2006 and started off as a old school hardcore punk band. Since then our styles have changed a lot using a wide range of hardcore influences.

High Hopes is a free download from Bandcamp.

Rice Cultivation Society – Leaves Again

Genre: experimental, folk, indie, rock

You would think this is something like a big band. Rice Cultivation Society, however, is merely a one person collective with an associated live band.

Leaves Again is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Subforms – Fragments

Genre: experimental, alternative, electronic

From the Cold Tear Records artists profiles: “Subforms is a prospective dub/techno/ambient project from the Ukraine. Two young lads (Yevgeny Konovalov, Dmitry Oleynik) have combined their efforts and experience to create a project independent of any commercial framework. Subforms play and write great minimalistic music which has never been limited, they are free to experiment with sound and style.

Fragments is a free download from Bandcamp.

Marches and Maneuvers – Apathy

Genre: indie, acoustic

From the Bandcamp page: “A collection of songs that should have been released a long time ago if I weren’t so lazy.” Now if you could be so kind and share a little more information about this project? We would all love to find out who you are, great singer / songwriter!

Apathy is a name your price download from Bandcamp.

Jan Grünfeld – Summerfrugl

Genre: folk, minimalist, shoegaze

free mp3From Headphonica: “Talk, noise, voices, guitars. Beauty is everywhere. Your hand touches my hand. I ask you for the time. I'll pick you up from school today. Thou headphones plugged into his ears. Everything is the same. All is well. I improvise on the doorstep, in the woods, on the field. Music comes out of the car radio, from the ICE seat, from the computer to the I-pod, the TV, mobile phones, the street, the room next door and my guitar. Fragments of my soul. Or yours? Random is a uniformly active principle. The butterfly principle. No principle.

Summerfugl is a free preview and download from Headphonica.

The Vespers – Tell Your Mama

Genre: alternative, folk

From their Bio: “It's two sisters, two brothers, four friends, eleven instruments, one fun little folk band. However you do the math, The Vespers are a force to be reckoned with. In the spring of 2010, the newly formed group released their debut album, Tell Your Mama, which has been received greatly by critics and fans alike. The indie release even managed to sneak on to a few top 20 lists before the year's end.

Tell Your Mama is a free download from NoiseTrade.

 

 

Paul Dempsey – Everyting Is True

Genre: experimental, folk, rock

From his Facebook Bio: “Paul Dempsey is the singer,guitarist and principal songwriter of Australian band, Something for Kate. Dempsey has also always played solo shows and toured solo when not busy with Something for Kate as well as producing records for other artists.
Paul released his first solo album, ‘Everything is True’ on August 14th 2009 to an overwhelming response. His album debuted at No.5 on the ARIA chart and was nominated for 3 ARIA Awards, A JJJ Award, announced as iTunes album of the year and Paul has won the Age Music Award…

Everything Is True is a free download from NoiseTrade.

New to Sound Sunday? Past editions of Sound Sunday are available here.

Feel free to get in touch with me [tina at makeuseof dot com] to share free material, suggestions, and feedback or simply add your comments below.


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Android Firefox Browser Offers “Do Not Track” Privacy Option [News]

Posted: 22 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Firefox for Android has recently updated privacy options to include a “Do Not Track” feature, which is a huge step for smartphone privacy online. Firefox is one of the leading browsers in this respect, and more mobile web browsers are expected to follow this privacy move in the near future.

When a user tells Firefox to enable the “Do Not Track” option, Firefox tells advertisers and marketers that the user has opted out of third-party behavioural tracking with cookies. This gives users the power to decide whether they are tracked online for advertising purposes which amounts to far better privacy options for users.

Firefox Android Beta has the new privacy features available, so download your copy of the new Firefox Android Beta here.

Android Firefox users can turn on the “Do Not Track” option by going to Menu > Preferences and choosing “Tell sites not to track me”.

The FTC advocates the availability of the “Do Not Track” privacy option for all browsers, including mobile browsers, and especially recommends the “Do Not Track” option for use by children.

MakeUseOf has also recently discussed the Dolphin Browser, the differences between the Opera Mini and Skyfire browsers and which Android browser is ultimately the best.

Will the new “Do Not Track” feature make Firefox your favourite Android browser? Let us know in the comments!

Image Source:TechCrunch

 

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6 Unique New iPhone Games That Are 100% Free

Posted: 22 May 2011 10:30 AM PDT

free iphone gamesThis week I decided to highlight 6 new games that are specifically for the iPhone, but iPad owners can of course enjoy these too as the majority come with universal builds and retina HD graphics. There are some absolutely stunning quality free iPhone games I found this week – it always amazes me how much these developers are willing to give away for free. If you’ve only just got your shiny new iPhone, then check out these other articles too for more iOS games, and know that we have a iPhone page you might want to bookmark where all the stories related to iPhone are listed.

That said, on with this weeks selection!

MotoTrialz

UPDATE: Sorry guys, looks like the price has been raised already to $0.99 – still an awesome game, but no longer free.

My pick of the week! Formally released as iTrials and withdrawn to avoid confusion with Trials HD Xbox Live game (though it does in fact bear a startling resemblance), MotoTrialz is 100% free for a limited time, so grab this one quick. With incredible 3D graphics and madly addictive gameplay, this is an absolute must-have. It’s the best trials app I’ve seen on iOS so far, and there’s been quite a few. It’s entertaining and somewhat realistic (well, in a *fake* realism kind of way?), and to launch at the amazing price of free is quite unbelievable. Grab this before the price goes up, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.

free iphone games

DeathWorth Lite

This game is so awesome it just doesn’t make sense. You take control of a giant worm in the desert, and run around eating people and destroying all manner of camels, police cars, missile command trucks and tanks that dare to cross your sands. The core mechanic is a little repetitive perhaps, but the game constantly introduces you to more enemies / hapless victims, and you continue to grow in size. Hint: you’ll occasionally get upgrades you unlock by clicking the upgrade button in the top right. I didn’t figure this out for about 5 levels. The ‘lite’ version is ad-supported, but otherwise fully functional. This one kept me engaged for a good bit of time, and I still haven’t played through the entire game yet.

best free iphone games

Bug Heroes

With cute graphics, cute bugs and gameplay above and beyond the usual iOS based 3D shooter, you can’t go wrong with Bug Heroes. Combining elements roleplay, turret defense and shoot-em-up in a professionally produced and attractive package, Bug Heroes sees you taking command of an elite team of bugs who must defend their food stash, destroy invading bugs, and seek out more food. You can change characters at any point in the game to get access to different abilities.

best free iphone games

Wriggle

This game is deceivingly difficult, but incredibly addictive. Gameplay is simple – lead your blue worm out of the maze by shuffling all the others around. Safe for work, safe for kids, and maybe not the most original idea ever, but definitely worth the download.

best free iphone games

MeWantBamboo

More cuteness abounds in this simple platformer where your only action button is jump. Avoid falling off the great wall and jump over hand-pulled carts with a distinct inability to drive, while munching the bamboo strewn throughout the levels. Turbo jump makes you fly, though I won’t divulge where the source of this energy boost comes from. It won’t keep you entertained for than 5 minutes, but it might your kids. Check it out!

free games for the iphone

Imaginary Range

From Square Enix studios comes this curious little adventure game / comic book experiment. I can’t say it’s something that will appeal to everyone, but if you’re a manga fan or just want to check this experimental gameplay then it’s worth a look. Essentially, it’s a comic book, that while reading gives you little mini games to play and items to collect.

free iphone games

That’s all folks. As ever, comments are appreciated, and I do hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of this hand picked selection of free iPhone games. You can safely be smug in the knowledge that your shiny iPhone was most certainly the better choice over those horrible Android handsets anyday.


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